Therapeutic and Prophylactic Effects of Sports and Exercise on Osteoporosis and Fracture Risk

Osteoporosis and low bone strength in older people may be due to low bone mass accrual or elevated age-related loss of bone mass. The mechanisms underlying loss of bone mass have long been subjected to research. However, research has only started in the last decade to focus on strategies to increase bone mass:the current opinion is that childhood and adolescence are critical periods for building up bone mineral density. It is also known that life style factors, such as physical activity may influence the accrual of bone mineral density Mechanical loading has been shown to be one of the best stimuli to enhance not only bone mass but also structural skeletal adaptations. both independently contributing to bone strength. Exercise prescription also includes a window of opportunity to improve bone strength in the late pre- and early pen-pubertal period. There is some evidence supporting the notion that gains inbone mass obtained by mechanical loading during growth are maintained at older age despite reduction of physical activity in adulthood. The notion that former male athletes have a lower fracture risk compared to non-athlets of the same age suggests that physical activity during growth and adolescence should be recommended as a feasible strategy to reduce the future incidence of fragility fractures